1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an athletic shoe and more particularly to an athletic shoe construction which is lightweight and supportive.
2. Related Art
As a result of the public""s renewed interest in physical activity, increased attention has been given to the development of athletic footwear. Many of the recent developments in athletic footwear relate to either the fit, function, or weight of the shoe. Oftentimes, however, it is difficult to improve the fit or function of the shoe without increasing the total weight of the shoe. Thus, it has become an objective of footwear manufacturers to develop an athletic shoe which is supportive and comfortable, yet lightweight.
Typically, an athletic shoe includes an upper and a sole. The upper is that part of the shoe which covers and protects the heel, instep, toe and side portions of the foot. The upper is secured to the wearer""s foot by a closure system which typically includes a lacing means, buckles, or hook and loop-type fasteners, such as VELCRO(copyright) fasteners. The closure system of the upper is conventionally positioned above the instep portion of the foot to allow easy donning and doffing of the shoe.
The sole of an athletic shoe includes an insole, a midsole, and an outsole. The insole (or insole board) lies next to the foot under a sockliner. The insole is the foundation of the shoe to which the upper is lasted and the sole attached.
The midsole lies between the insole and the outsole. The primary function of the midsole is to provide cushioning to the wearer""s foot, specifically in the heel and forefoot regions. The midsole may be formed in one or more pieces and often includes a wedge or cushioning insert disposed beneath the heel of the wearer to effectively increase the amount of cushioning. A mechanism for stabilizing the heel of the foot may also be incorporated into the midsole.
The outsole is that part of the shoe which comes into direct contact with the ground. The outsole is commonly molded from an abrasive resistant material such as rubber. The standard sole unit, consisting of the insole, midsole and outsole, accounts for approximately 50-62% of total shoe weight.
In an effort to reduce the weight of an athletic shoe, footwear manufacturers have attempted to remove various support or cushioning elements from the shoe. The removal of such elements, however, compromises the structural integrity and performance of the shoe. Thus, to significantly reduce the total weight of the shoe, the components thereof need to be structured in a minimalistic manner from materials which are functionally efficient. The present invention reduces the total weight of the shoe by utilizing an inflatable exoskeleton in the upper and a lightweight, yet supportive arch support in the sole. Such an arch support in the sole eliminates the need for cushioning or abrasive resistant materials in the arch area of the shoe. The upper and sole components of the athletic shoe of the present invention are doubly efficient in that they may be applied to a variety of athletic shoe lasts including, but not limited to, basketball shoe lasts, tennis shoe lasts, and walking shoe lasts.
In accordance with the objectives and purposes of the present invention as embodied and described herein, the present invention is an athletic shoe comprising a lightweight upper and a lightweight sole.
In one aspect, the present invention is an upper for an athletic shoe having a foot conforming support member, an inflatable exoskeleton attached to the foot conforming support member and an overlay positioned over the inflatable exoskeleton to inhibit outward bulging of the inflatable exoskeleton away from the surface of a wearer""s foot. The inflatable exoskeleton includes two thin films which are bonded along their peripheral edges to form at least one fluid impervious compartment. The upper may include an on-board pump. The pump may be positioned on a tab positioned on the heel of the shoe.
In another aspect, the present invention is an upper for an athletic shoe which includes a support member which surrounds the upper portion of the wearer""s foot and an inflatable chamber. The inflatable chamber forms an outermost surface of the upper and is formed in accordance with a pattern which defines a plurality of fluidly connected compartments which are substantially symmetrical about a central axis. The symmetrical portions of the chamber are joined to each other by a strapping system which overlies the instep and Achilles tendon of the wearer""s foot. The inflatable chamber of the upper may be applied to a variety of types of athletic shoes without varying the configuration of the compartments of the inflatable chamber. The inflatable chamber of the invention may be formed from two substantially flat films and it may include an inflation mechanism and a fluid release mechanism. The pattern of the inflatable chamber may define substantially symmetrical rearfoot compartments, lower quarter compartments, ankle collar compartments and instep compartments. The rearfoot compartments (which include the ankle collar compartments) and the instep compartments may be separated by areas devoid of material to allow the chamber to be applied to an athletic shoe last of any configuration. The fluid release mechanism may include a cover which acts as a connector for coupling an off-board inflation mechanism to the inflatable chamber.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the upper of the athletic shoe includes a first component and a second component. The second component is attached to the exterior of the first component such that the second component forms an outermost surface of the upper. The second component comprises an inflatable chamber which includes a lateral midfoot compartment and a medial midfoot compartment. The lateral and medial midfoot compartments are separated from each other at the mid and lower portions thereof and joined to each other at the upper portions thereof by a tongue compartment which is in fluid communication with the lateral and medial midfoot compartments. The first component of the invention may be a support member which conforms to the upper portion of a wearer""s foot.
In yet another aspect, the present invention is an athletic shoe kit including an athletic shoe comprising an upper, a sole, an inflatable chamber attached to the exterior of the upper, and a hand-held inflation mechanism. The inflation mechanism includes a source of pressurized gas for inflating the chamber of the shoe.
In still another aspect of the invention, the athletic shoe includes an upper and a sole. The sole includes a forefoot component which includes a to cushioning material and an abrasive resistant material and a heel component which includes a cushioning material and an abrasive resistant material. The sole also includes an arch region which includes a rigid arch support positioned beneath the arch of the wearer and extending from the lateral edge of the shoe to the medial edge of the shoe. The arch is positioned between the forefoot component and the heel component such that the arch region is devoid of either the cushioning material or the abrasive resistant material of the sole.
The arch support may have a thickness of less than {fraction (50/1000)} inch. The arch support may be a composite formed from carbon and glass. The arch support may be coated with an epoxy resin.
The present invention may also take the form of an athletic shoe having an upper and a sole. The sole includes a rigid carrier element, a forefoot unit mounted to the carrier element in the forefoot region and a heel unit mounted to the carrier element in the heel region. The forefoot unit comprises a toe component, a medial component and two lateral components. The carrier element may be formed from a carbon glass composite or a sheet of honeycomb material. The carrier element may comprise a heel stabilizer and an arch support.